6種意想不到的美麗的海洋生物

6種意想不到的美麗的海洋生物

The shrimp mantis is neither shrimp nor mantis, but its name comes from its close resemblance to a praying mantis and, well, shrimp. (Photo: Jens Petersen [CC SA 3.0]/Wikimedia Commons)

You've likely oohed and ahhed at playful dolphins and majestic blue whales, but when's the last time you gave a shout-out to the humble snail or mollusk? This summer, a lobsterman in Maine took the Internet by storm (pun intended) when he posted a 1 in 100 million catch: a "cotton candy" lobster. The purple, pink, and blue crustacean practically sparkled in its prettiness, and got us wondering: what other overlooked beauties might lurk below the sea?

你可能會(huì)對(duì)頑皮的海豚和威武的藍(lán)鯨嘖嘖稱(chēng)奇，但你最后一次對(duì)不起眼的蝸牛或軟體動(dòng)物大喊大叫是什么時(shí)候?今年夏天，緬因州的一名捕蝦人在網(wǎng)上走紅(雙關(guān)語(yǔ))，他發(fā)布了一條一億分之一的捕獲量:一只“棉花糖”龍蝦。這種紫色、粉紅色和藍(lán)色的甲殼類(lèi)動(dòng)物在美麗的外表下閃閃發(fā)光，這使我們不禁要問(wèn):還有什么其他被忽視的美麗的東西可能潛伏在海底呢?

Nudibranch

裸鰓亞目動(dòng)物

Nembrotha cristata, a species of a colorful sea slug, pictured at Lekuan II dive site, Bunaken Marine National Park, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. (Photo: Chriswan Sungkono [CC SA 3.0]/Wikimedia Commons)

Nudibranchs are probably better known by their street name, sea slugs. These soft-bodied marine mollusks include more than 3,000 species and live in seas all over the world. They're anything but sluggish, though; these gastropods are hermaphroditic and carnivorous, and some are even cannibals.

裸鰓海蛞蝓可能更廣為人知。這些軟體軟體動(dòng)物包括超過(guò)3000種，生活在世界各地的海洋中。不過(guò)，它們一點(diǎn)也不遲緩;這些腹足動(dòng)物是雌雄同體的食肉動(dòng)物，有些甚至是食人族。

Coconut octopus

椰子章魚(yú)

The coconut octopus is notable for using tools to catch prey — namely, seashells and coconut shells. (Photo: Rickard Zerpe [CC by 2.0]/Wikimedia Commons)

This cephalopod is one of the most intelligent invertebrates around, gathering and saving coconut shells and seashells as shelters to hide in before attacking their prey.

這種頭足類(lèi)動(dòng)物是周?chē)盥斆鞯臒o(wú)脊椎動(dòng)物之一，它們?cè)诠臬C物之前會(huì)收集和保存椰子殼和貝殼作為庇護(hù)所。

Brittle star

海蛇尾

A green brittle star in the UK's Chester Zoo. (Photo: Neil [CC by SA 3.0]/Wikimedia Commons)

Closely related to starfish, brittle stars move briskly along the seafloor, thanks to their long, slender arms. They're also excellent multitaskers, with a five-jawed mouth that also serves as an anus (eek!), and the ability to regenerate lost arms.

海蛇尾與海星關(guān)系密切，由于它們細(xì)長(zhǎng)的手臂，它們能在海底輕快地移動(dòng)。它們也是出色的多任務(wù)處理者，有一張五爪的嘴，同時(shí)也有肛門(mén)和再生失去的手臂的能力。

Leafy seadragon

利氏海龍

A leafy sea dragon near Australia's Kangaroo Island. (Photo: James Rosindell [CC SA 4.0]/Wikimedia Commons)

The king of camouflage, these "leafies" live amongst kelp and seaweed in the waters off south and east Australia. Their reproductive systems are as progressive as their seahorse cousin, with males incubating their eggs on the underside of their tail until they hatch. Divers often caught and kept them as pets until the Australian government placed protective regulations on them in the 1990s.

作為偽裝之王，這些“海龍”生活在澳大利亞南部和東部海域的海帶和海藻中。它們的生殖系統(tǒng)就像它們的海馬表親一樣進(jìn)化，雄海馬會(huì)在尾巴下方產(chǎn)卵，直到孵化。潛水員經(jīng)常捕捉它們作為寵物飼養(yǎng)，直到上世紀(jì)90年代澳大利亞政府對(duì)它們實(shí)施了保護(hù)規(guī)定。

Christmas tree worms

圣誕樹(shù)蠕蟲(chóng)

Assorted Christmas tree worms take shelter on a coral reef. (Photo: Nick Hobgood [CC SA 3.0]/Wikimedia Commons)

These spiraled beauties are scattered throughout oceans worldwide, but you'll most likely find them setting up shop on a stony coral. Their feathery "crowns" act as both a filter for food and a harness for oxygen, with each worm having two trees. They can live as long as 40 years, making them a much better investment than your typical Christmas fir tree.

這些螺旋形的美人分布在世界各地的海洋中，但你很可能會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)它們?cè)谑|(zhì)珊瑚上開(kāi)店。它們羽毛狀的“王冠”既是食物的過(guò)濾器，也是氧氣的安全帶，每條蠕蟲(chóng)都有兩棵樹(shù)。它們可以活到40歲，這使得它們比普通的圣誕樹(shù)更值得投資。

Enypniastes eximia

“無(wú)頭雞怪

This benthopelagic sea cucumber enjoys swimming in freezing waters. (Photo: NOAA Okeanos Explorer [public domain]/Wikimedia Commons)

These deep-sea sea cucumbers were not caught on camera until 2017, though they were discovered sometime in the 1880s. Unkindly called a "headless chicken monster" by scientists, the see-through animal has the important job of filtering sediment on the ocean floor. It doesn't have a true brain or sensory organs, but you can watch its entire digestive system at work! Because after all, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.

這些深海海參直到2017年才被拍到，盡管它們是在19世紀(jì)80年代被發(fā)現(xiàn)的。這種透明動(dòng)物被科學(xué)家們無(wú)情地稱(chēng)為“無(wú)頭雞怪”，它有過(guò)濾海底沉積物的重要功能。它沒(méi)有真正的大腦或感覺(jué)器官，但你可以看到它的整個(gè)消化系統(tǒng)在工作!因?yàn)楫吘?，美真的存在于觀者的眼中。